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PIAS Group

{{Short description|British independent record company}}

{{Multiple issues|

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{{Undisclosed paid|date=July 2021}}

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{{Infobox company

| name = PIAS

| logo = File:PIAS Logo.svg

| type = Private

| industry =

| founded = {{Start date and age|1982}} in Brussels, Belgium

| founders = Kenny Gates
Michel Lambot

| location_city = Brussels

| location_country = Belgium

| locations = 19

| area_served = Worldwide

| key_people =

| products =

| owner = Universal Music Group

| num_employees = 250+

| parent =

| divisions = [PIAS] Recordings
[PIAS] Artist & Label Services

| website = {{URL|https://www.pias.com}}

}}

PIAS is a Belgian corporation that specialises in independent music recording, licensing, distribution, sales, and marketing. The company was founded in 1982 by Kenny Gates and Michel Lambot in Brussels, Belgium,.[https://www.impalamusic.org/node/78 "Michel Lambot's Biography"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181007040051/https://www.impalamusic.org/node/78 |date=2018-10-07 }}, Impala. Retrieved 7-10-2018. It has over 250 employees, with 19 offices around the world. The group funds and partners with independent labels and artists.

In November 2022, Universal Music Group acquired 49% shareholding of the PIAS Group,{{cite web | url=https://www.musicbusinessworldwide.com/universal-acquires-49-stake-in-independent-music-powerhouse-pias | title=Universal acquires 49% stake in independent music powerhouse [PIAS] | date=30 November 2022 }} then, in October 2024, acquiring the rest of shares owned by the company's founders Kenny Gates and Michel Lambot,{{cite web|url=https://www.universalmusic.com/pias-co-founders-kenny-gates-michel-lambot-announce-sale-of-remaining-shareholding-to-universal-music-group/|title=[PIAS] CO-FOUNDERS KENNY GATES & MICHEL LAMBOT ANNOUNCE SALE OF REMAINING SHAREHOLDING TO UNIVERSAL MUSIC GROUP|date=2024-10-15|access-date=2024-10-15}} effectively making PIAS a Universal Music Group subsidiary. [PIAS] Label Group (PIAS Recordings) division will continue to operate autonomously, while [Integral] (formerly [PIAS] Artist & Label Services) will be integrated with Universal's Virgin Music Group division.

Divisions

  • [PIAS] Recordings, which launched in 1999, is the group's in-house recorded music division, comprising eight labels, headquartered in [PIAS]'s UK office in Bermondsey, London.
  • [PIAS] Artist & Label Services, the sales & distribution division providing custom marketing, sales, and distribution services to labels and artists on a national and international level. [PIAS] rebranded its distribution service to [Integral] in 2021.

=Sublabels=

Within [PIAS] Recordings{{Cite web |url=https://www.pias.com/recordings/ |title="Our Labels" |access-date=2018-10-06 |archive-date=2018-10-07 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181007040207/https://www.pias.com/recordings/ |url-status=dead }}

  • Play It Again Sam
  • Different Recordings, the electronic music imprint with Etienne de Crecy, Vitalic, Motorbass, Tiga, Crystal Castles and Crystal Fighters
  • Le Label
  • Urban
  • Harmonia MundiTim Ingham, [https://www.musicbusinessworldwide.com/pias-officially-acquires-classical-and-jazz-house-harmonia-mundi "PIAS officially acquires classical and jazz house harmonia mundi"], Music Business Worldwide (September 28, 2015). Retrieved 7-10-2018.
  • Inertia[http://www.billboard.com/biz/articles/7662639/pias-acquires-australias-inertia-music "PIAS Acquires Australia's Inertia Music"], Billboard (January 23, 2017). Retrieved 7-10-2018.
  • Jazz Village
  • World Village
  • V2 Records

History

Michel Lambot and Kenny Gates met circa September 1981 at Michel's record store then called "Casablanca Moon", exclusively selling records from independent labels and they quickly became friends.

In June 1982 the store "Casablanca Moon" was closed down and they made plans to start an import company named "Play It Again Sam". Play It Again Sam started importing from the UK in October 1982 and were based in the basement of Kenny's parents' house in Brussels, Belgium. Michel and Kenny were then respectively 21 and 19 years old. The company was incorporated in March 1983 with a starting capital of €5000 and the strategy rapidly became a "distributor" rather than an importer / wholesaler; that meant offering a full range of services to labels, such as promotion and marketing. The activities were then extended to production through the creation of their own label in 1984. In 1990, [PIAS] set up offices in Hilversum, Holland, then followed the takeover of Vital in 1993 (which was renamed [PIAS] UK in 2008). [PIAS] offices were set up in Paris and London in 1994, in Hamburg in 1995, in Madrid in 2000 and in New York in 2013 as well as two joint ventures called [PIAS] Nordic in Scandinavia and [PIAS] Australia.

In early 2013, [PIAS] acquired Cooperative Music (and the Coop-owned V2 Records label) from Universal Music Group, for a fee in the region of £500,000 forming the new business division [PIAS] Cooperative.[http://www.musicweek.com/news/read/pias-buyout-of-co-op-cleared-by-ec-regulators/054100 "PIAS buyout of Co-Op cleared by EC regulators"], Music Week (Monday, Mar 25th 2013). Retrieved 7-10-2018. The same year, [PIAS] acquired Rough Trade Distribution in the Benelux.[https://www.musicbusinessworldwide.com/pias-acquires-rough-trade-distribution-in-benelux/ "PIAS acquires Rough Trade Distribution in Benelux"], Music Business Worldwide (December 2, 2013). Retrieved 7-10-2018.

[PIAS] and Universal Music entered into a strategic global alliance on 9 June 2021. The agreement will see UMG finance [PIAS] in addition to accessing the company's international distribution network.{{cite web|url=https://www.musicbusinessworldwide.com/universal-music-group-and-pias-strike-strategic-global-alliance/|website=Music Business Worldwide|title=Universal Music Group and [PIAS] Strike Strategic Global Alliance|author=Murray Stassen|date=9 June 2021|accessdate=15 October 2021|language=English}}

In November 2022, Universal Music Group purchased a 49 percent stake in PIAS. As part of the deal, the catalogues of several Universal artists were transferred to PIAS, including Jurassic 5, DJ Shadow, The Dandy Warhols, Texas, and Eels. The PIAS-Universal alliance was further extended with the Universal Music's acquisition of the existing shareholding owned by the company's founders Kenny Gates and Michel Lambot, announced on 15 October 2024.

2011 warehouse fire

On 8 August 2011, during the 2011 riots in England, a Sony DADC warehouse in the London Borough of Enfield which also acted as PIAS' primary distribution centre was destroyed by fire. Most of PIAS' inventory was considered lost including records from the over 100 British independent labels which PIAS distributes.{{cite web| url = http://pitchfork.com/news/43474-sonypias-warehouse-burns-in-uk-riots/| url-status = dead| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110817211837/http://www.pitchfork.com/news/43474-sonypias-warehouse-burns-in-uk-riots/| archive-date = 2011-08-17| title = Pitchfork: Sony/PIAS Warehouse Burnt Down in UK Riots| website = Pitchfork}}{{cite web|url=http://pitchfork.com/news/43478-labels-react-to-sonypias-warehouse-fire/|title=Labels react to Sony/PIAS warehouse fire|work=Pitchfork Media|author=Fitzmaurice, Larry|date=9 August 2011|access-date=19 August 2011}} Several album and single releases were affected by the fire,{{cite web| url = http://www.nme.com/news/various-artists/58540| url-status = dead| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20111016151105/http://www.nme.com/news/various-artists/58540| archive-date = 2011-10-16| title = London riots - Domino Records respond to Sony DADC warehouse fire {{!}} News {{!}} NME.COM| website = NME}} including the Arctic Monkeys single "The Hellcat Spangled Shalalala", the Battles single "My Machines" and the Charlie Simpson album Young Pilgrim.{{cite news| url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2011/aug/09/independent-record-labels-stock-london-riots | location=London | work=The Guardian | title=Independent record labels fear ruinous stock loss in London riots fire | date=9 August 2011}}{{Cite web|url=http://pitchfork.com/news/43500-arrests-made-in-sonypias-warehouse-fire/|title = Arrests Made in Sony/PIAS Warehouse Fire| website=Pitchfork |date = 11 August 2011}} The total stock loss was reported to be between 3.5 million{{cite web|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/14579343|title=Independent record labels detail fire recovery plans|work=BBC News|date=18 August 2011|access-date=19 August 2011}} and 25 million{{cite magazine|url=http://www.billboard.biz/bbbiz/industry/record-labels/bpi-establishes-fund-for-indie-labels-impacted-1005316412.story|title=BPI establishes fund for indie labels impacted by London riots|magazine=Billboard|author=Smirke, Richard|date=15 August 2011|access-date=17 August 2011}} units.

Distributed labels

PIAS distributes and services over 100 independent labels including the following:

=[Integral] Distribution Services=

{{Cite web|url=https://www.integralmusic.com/|title=Integral Music website}}

{{div col|colwidth=18em}}

{{div col end}}

=Cooperative=

{{Cite web|url=https://www.piasgroup.net/cooperative/|title = Cooperative Labels}}

{{div col|colwidth=18em}}

  • 37 Adventures
  • Astral People Recordings
  • Bella Union
  • Blue Flowers Music
  • The Point of Departure Recording Co.
  • Prolifica Inc.
  • Research
  • Speedy Wunderground
  • Wichita Recordings

{{div col end}}

References

{{Reflist}}

External links

  • [http://www.pias.com [PIAS] Website]
  • [http://www.playitagainsam.net/ Play It Again, Sam]
  • [http://www.differentrecordings.com/ Different Recordings]

{{Universal Music Group}}

{{UPFI}}

Category:Mass media companies of Belgium

Category:Labels distributed by Universal Music Group